It is time for the school kids and The Friday Morning Bookclub to hit the books. This month’s book, The Paris Architect will grab you from the very first page. It is exciting, full of surprise and impossible to put down. What better way to kick off the season!

“In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money – and maybe get him killed. But if he’s clever enough, he’ll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won’t find it.”

May 12, 2014

Jane Forrester is young and newly wed. She wants to do something to help people, so despite the wishes of her doctor husband, she takes a job as a social worker in rural Grace County, North Carolina. Only days on the job, Jane is introduced to 15 year old Ivy Hart and her family who not only work on a tobacco farm, but live there as well.

Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy

Please join us in reading Necessary Lies. I just started listening to it and am totally captivated by the cast of characters! I can already tell…this is going to be a fascinating story and for those who enjoy listening to books, a wonderful audio book!

May 1, 2014

Not often do I come upon a book that has the power to change my most basic beliefs. Many Lives,Many Masters was given to me by a friend years ago. I had just lost a dear friend to breast cancer and supposedly reading this book could be comforting. This book had a profound affect on me.

Please join us in reading Many Lives, Many Masters. I look forward to hearing if this book affects you as much as it did me!

All I can say is that this must be a REALLY good book. We considered dozens of books for our April meeting, the one meeting we invite our husbands to. After many discussions, emails and finally a vote we chose The Devil in the White City. Several of our members had already read it, yet it was still their top choice…a book they were willing to read again.

Please join us in reading The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.

I often say that I learn more about history by reading historical fiction than I ever did in school. Between 1853 and 1929, trains departed New York, carrying orphaned children from the east coast to the farmlands of the mid west. This Welfare Program was the largest mass migration of children in U.S history, yet I had never even heard of Orphan Trains.

Orphan Train is two intertwining stories, one set in present day Maine, the other in the late 1920’s. It is the story of an unlikely friendship. Molly was a product of the modern-day Foster Care System. Ninety- one year old Vivian was one of those orphaned children transported across the country by train.

Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train is a “powerful tale of upheaval, second chances and unexpected friendship.” Please join us in reading Orphan Train.

December 12, 2013

Warning: If you plan to get anything done, do not start this month’s book! The Preservationist is a psychological thriller and oh so creepy!

Julia, a college freshman was working hard to rebound after a recent family tragedy. She couldn’t believe that she was actually in college and was excited about going out on her very first date with Marcus, a young man in one of her classes. And then there was Sam, the cute guy who worked in the snack bar and “could have passed as a student if he were a couple years younger”. Both men had secrets…who could Julia really trust?

Like this:

November 10, 2013

My Darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died…

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret – something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others too. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive . . .

Please join us in reading The Husband’s Secret. You will not be able to put it down!

American Dervish is the story of Hayat, a young Pakistani- American boy growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 80’s. It is a glimpse into the life of a family torn between assimilation and holding on to their beliefs and customs. The story, told from Hayat’s point of view is a fascinating one. If you enjoy audio books, this is a good one. American Dervish is read by the author himself, a first generation Pakistani, American from Milwaukee. Ayad Akhtar’s voice really brings this eye-opening story to life!

This month’s bonus book is Another Piece Of My Heart by Jane Green. Our book club was fortunate to be selected to receive copies of Green’s newest book. Another Piece Of My Heart “explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready- made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.” Andie, a 37-year old interior designer, turned “home-stager” does not know what she is getting herself into when she marries Ethan, the love of her life who has two children from a previous marriage. Yes, it is definitely Chic- Lit, but with today’s many blended families…it is well worth the read. I read this book over the weekend!

Please join us in reading American Dervish and Another Piece Of My heart! Two very different yet entertaining reads!